Male Blackbirds - Strange Behaviour

Wild Woolwell · #1 (**permalink**) 05-05-2005, 07:33 AM

Does anyone out there have any ideas on the following ? There are currently 2 male Blackbirds in and around my garden and the immediate neighbourhood . Since Saturday 30th April one has doggedly been following the other - fence post to fence post, washing line to washing line , branch to branch etc etc, never further than about a foot apart . It does seem territorial at first sight but there is no aggression involved - no retaliation from the followed individual and they both seem oblivious to the charms of any females around .

This activity seems stranger because it it seems to be dawn to dusk with no let up - I saw them last night before drawing the blinds - and there they were first thing this morning , round and round - it makes you dizzy watching. Is it misplaced breeding behaviour ? Whatever it is - other people in my street have noticed them as well, they're the talking point of my little corner of Devon. Thoughts on the subject would be much aprreciated.

Steve Clement-Large , Woolwell, South Devon

StuartDH · #2 (**permalink**) 08-05-2005, 04:41 PM

Hi Steve,

No idea what you're blackbirds were up to, but I've also seen some very strange behaviour from birds that I've yet to find an explanation for.

This photo was taken a couple of years ago when I saw two blue tits fly around like a whirlwind, then lock on to each at about 20-30ft above the ground before plummeting to the floor, where they lay together like this for about a minute.

Then they got back up and started it all over again - about 3 or 4 times.

http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/ga...ts&searchid=74

We'll have to try and dig out a bird behavioural psychologist (if there is such person) from one of the universities to see if they can shed some light on it.

James · #3 (**permalink**) 08-05-2005, 05:02 PM

Steve,

Have you noticed what their feeding habits are like? Do they have singing duels between them? Are there any sign of female partners? I'm not too sure, but one could possibly be a descendant of the other

The fact that birds don't always follow pre-set instincts makes them all the more interesting

Wild Woolwell · #4 (**permalink**) 09-05-2005, 01:27 PM

One of the things I have noticed is that the one doing the following is the one which occassionally breaks off to have a forage in the flower beds before continuing the pursuit ; no singing noticed at all ; on the odd occassion when there has been a female present in the garden at the same time , neither seem to pay any attention whatsoever.

As an update there was no sign of either yesterday, maybe it's all over !

James · #5 (**permalink**) 09-05-2005, 06:35 PM

On the topic of birds following each other, one year I noticed that a pair of dunnocks were pestered by a third. Very often the three would be seen together. Probably some form of rivalry there, but as dunnocks are usually more docile there wasn't any fighting

Also, invariably robins like to bully dunnocks. This can go beyond heirachy over food. I don't know why this is

felino · #6 (**permalink**) 10-06-2007, 06:17 PM

I've watched these weird antics too and wonder if they, and other animals, might simply be going potty, out of their trees, round the twist or bend, because of what we're doing to the planet. Their seasonal and temperature clocks have been thrown out of kilter, so hey, folks! What the hell! let's go nuts!
Just a thought.

felino · #7 (**permalink**) 03-08-2007, 10:51 AM

I live in Brittany, a region with a similar climate to most of the UK, and I'm puzzled and
concerned about the curious behaviour of blackbirds, and indeed most other birds, in that they seem to have disappeared altogether from our locality this past month or so! No dawn chorus, no hordes of small birds fluttering to and fro from the virginia creeper on the house to the trees and hedges. Total silence. Ideas anyone?

Tursiops2 · #8 (**permalink**) 03-08-2007, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by felino

I live in Brittany, a region with a similar climate to most of the UK, and I'm puzzled and
concerned about the curious behaviour of blackbirds, and indeed most other birds, in that they seem to have disappeared altogether from our locality this past month or so! No dawn chorus, no hordes of small birds fluttering to and fro from the virginia creeper on the house to the trees and hedges. Total silence. Ideas anyone?

Probably just a seasonal thing, they're busy feeding youngsters on an abundance of natural food, so no need to defend terrtories like in the spring, so no dawn chorus; or...

if you live in France, is it the hunting season yet?

felino · #9 (**permalink**) 03-08-2007, 03:06 PM

Thanks for that comforting thought. No, the cat, dog and occasional Rabbit killing season
(which includes empty beer bottle strewing) opens in September.

m1.carson · #10 (**permalink**) 04-08-2007, 09:11 AM

Hi,

It was easier for us to tell what's happening, a male being followed around by two females, if anything, larger than he was, they were this years fledglings still begging for food, they have just, and I mean this week just, started feeding themselves at our bird table.

If in doubt watch the second male, is he fluttering his wings at the other and I can only say "chirping" at the other, then it's a young one.

Nice to watch,

Max.

glsammy · #11 (**permalink**) 04-08-2007, 09:24 AM

I've also witnessed some unusual behaviour, similar to Stu, Blue tits locking in air, dropping to the ground and fighting for quite a while. I managed to get a few shots:

That last shot is two birds!